Background: Adolescence is a critical period for establishing long-term dietary habits, yet many adolescents develop unhealthy eating behaviors influenced by a variety of factors. This study explores the perspectives of students, parents, and teachers on determinants of adolescents’ dietary preferences.
Methods: A qualitative, cross-sectional study was conducted using focus group discussions with students and in-depth interviews with parents and teachers of public and private schools of Rawalpindi city. Braun and Clarke’s Thematic Content Analysis was employed for data interpretation.
Results: A total of five major themes emerged from the analysis of the qualitative data. These themes were systematically categorized according to different levels of influence consistent with the socio-ecological framework. At the individual level, taste preferences, limited nutritional literacy, poor time management, poor cooking skills, emotional states and concerns about body image were key factors shaping adolescents’ dietary behaviors. Interpersonal influences included parental food choices, cultural influences, time constraints of caregivers, socioeconomic factors, peer pressure, digital and social media influences, At the organizational level identified themes are: role of teachers, parent-teacher collaboration, lack of structured health programs and school food policies. Schools were identified as both facilitators and barriers to healthy eating, with inadequate nutrition education and the widespread availability of unhealthy cafeteria options undermining health-promoting messages.
Conclusion: Strengthening parent-teacher collaboration, implementing structured school nutrition policies, and promoting nutritional education are essential to foster healthier eating habits. A multi-pronged strategy involving students, families, educators, and policymakers is necessary to create sustainable and health-supportive food environment in the schools.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-025-24734-5.
Keywords: Adolescents; Dietary habits; Eating behaviors; Qualitative research; Schools.